$12 Million for Utah Prison
Many on Utah’s Capitol Hill breathing a sigh of relief today as the Legislature has somehow found $12 million to keep a portion of the Utah State Prison open. Without the money the prison would have been forced to shut down one pod (a section) of the prison and lay off 75 corrections officers.
Let It Close
When one looks at how many people are imprisoned for offenses such as drug possession in Utah one must ask if it is a curse or a blessing to find even more taxpayer money to continue to fund the imprisonment of so many crimes.
A Better Solution
Here’s a real solution: Decriminalize the victimless crimes. That will relieve the prison of a 1/3 of its population. Reserve prison space for people who actually violate others’ rights. This will save taxpayers millions of dollars every year, relieve the state of so many employees, and generally preserve more individual liberty.
